[middtube isanders mp3ISanders_HGerardi_092808]
Hillary Gerardi
9/29/08
181 Pleasant View Terrace
Interviewed by Ian Sanders-Fleming
This interview was to give us practice in interviewing with each other. The focus was on the social dynamic of the interview; learning how to get people to open up about themselves, adapting to the conversation, and steering questions towards a focus topic as subtly as possible. The topic was the community of Middlebury College.
I interviewed Hillary at 9:10 Monday morning in my room in the Queer Studies House. Construction outside and my housemates waking up distracted us; my room, while odiferous and cold, was the most private place to talk. Particularly passing trucks, machinery, and a shower interfered. There is a quick jump in the recording when a telemarketer called and I yelled at him.
As an interviewer, I think I was very casual but interested. I didn’t try to act overly polite or extra interested, but concentrated more on acting as I would in a normal conversation. For future reference, I will not slouch so much, no matter how uncomfortable the chair. I was tired, and it sometimes was hard to steer the conversation to new topics, but Hillary was easy to talk to, and pauses were not a problem.
Hillary’s more notable possessions include her old steel frame yellow bike, which has far too large a frame for her, as I have tried and convince her.
During the interview, as we circled the topic of Middlebury College, I was surprised to hear of Hillary’s regrets concerning academic paths, frustration with fitting in, and struggle for direction. To be sure it is a story I am familiar with personally, and hear about all the time, but until our conversation this morning I held many assumptions about Hillary that were clearly untrue. Hillary described Middlebury’s social scene as ambiguous: she flits from groups of friends to groups of friends, dependent on her ‘mood,’ yet it took her years to establish a close circle of constant companions.
4:19- Hillary’s discussion of her parents’ undergraduate tracks, and their current occupation, is a great musing on the lasting importance of educational focus. I proceed to stumble- must remember things!
6:37- a great description of Hillary’s dad working for the local watershed and maintaining salmon species
7:42-8:58- Hillary’s description of her initial ‘misguided’ academic interests- a ‘big fish in a small pond’
9:08- the wonderful tale of Hillary’s traveling great gramma and gramma
12:27- Hillary’s discovery of the joy of local Vermont, balancing out her wanderlust.
13:46- Why go to Middlebury? The surroundings… the intense difference from the North Eastern Kingdom, where she grew up.
20:30- Being ready to leave before College is over- not Middlebury’s fault, but a normal student urge? Maybe for Hillary, not others.
21:15- Clashing with the Middlebury booze community
22:20- Hillary’s niche- ‘something [she’s] working on’—still not entirely sure where she fits in
23:15- the academic revelation- wanting to study sciences too late to pursue, and now feels she is missing the opportunity of Middlebury’s classes.
25:10- the issue of non-communicative academic interests, yet the current high standing of liberal arts colleges as far as academic mobility and interchange— Hillary really dipping her fingers into the academic soup- trying everything
27:24- “people don’t realize what an amazing place Middlebury is until you leave”
29:34- the unhealthy nature of the Middlebury campus lifestyle- driving Hillary nuts- not being able to healthily manage your life
31:00 Hilary has a great insight in the work-hard, play-hard mentality of Middlebury—how do you live outside of Middlebury’s party culture?
33:57 Hillary’s group of friends outside of the Middlebury booze-croo